where will they go?

“I wish they would all be quieter about it.”

It was a strange scent that lead Sif to the brightly dressed woman. She had never smelled anything quite like it, which was saying something in a city full of interesting smells.

She huffed out a laugh at the woman’s comment. She was more than capable of catching her own food of she so desired, but that wasn’t why she was here. At least the woman didn’t seem hostile. Slowly and cautiously, she approached the rock the woman was sitting on to smell her better.

Mirroring the woman’s movement, she also tilted her head to the side and gave a confused noise deep in her throat. Sif was even more puzzled now than she was before. She had met creatures that were part human, part animal and carried characteristics of both, but the woman looked only human yet smelled like two additional animals. She couldn’t even identify what animals they were.

Giving up on communicating such a question through body language, Sif scratched out three words into the ground.

“SMELLETH STRANGE? WHY?”

     — ⚡ Aho it seems this creature indeed have the intelligence to not only understand the hunter’s words, but also ‘respond’, in a sense, to them. Watching quietly and stationary, Samus can’t help but notice how... Perplexed? The canine is currently. The reason for the wolf’s confusion, however, is one the blonde can’t quite discern for a few moments and instead, she can only wonder about the possibilities within her own mind.

     ... That is, until the creature begins to use their claws to etch wording into the ground beneath their feet. How curious.

     Slowly getting up as to not spook or cause the animal any alarm, Samus soon tilts her head at an angle in order to read what has been written by the wolf. Her scent... Well, that could mean any number of things, especially considering she is not from this place nor any part of the galaxy that this animal probably knows. For all Samus knows, this ‘scent’ could also be referring to the fabric her suit is made out of.

     ❝ ... Do you mean this? ❞ she points at her suit now, offering a glance to the canine nearby.

“For some, that may be an improvement.”

     — ⚡ ❝ … Maybe, ❞

Dangerous. The Broken Vessel flinched at the word, taking a few steps back as their gaze darted back to the mouth of the cave. The stranger’s offer of accompanying xem had them screaming inside, with no voice to let it out as per usual; no! They wanted to do this alone! To prove xemselves worthy of their father’s love alone! To become hollow alone!

…still, they couldn’t deny that the company would be nice so the pair could find their way back out again on the chance that this all really was a hoax. Within this city, the vessel had quickly discovered that either option was possible when it came to the legitimacy of the rumors xey had overheard. This place in general was just weird.

As such, they slowly (and somewhat begrudgingly, though one probably couldn’t tell) nodded in agreement to the stranger’s words, beginning to cautiously head inside the cave– for real, this time.

They still had to think of a lie to tell once inside, but… that shouldn’t be too hard, right?

     — ⚡ At first, xey seem to be unsure of how to respond to Samus’s words... And it’s even more difficult for the blonde to gauge the youth’s feelings on the matter due to the mask xey wear. In a way, she can understand the conflicting feelings of the other; in her own youth, the bounty hunter had been very rebellious and also had a hard time following the words of others... Though truthfully, that’s still something she experiences to a degree even to this day.

     ❝ ... How about this, ❞

     ❝ I’m curious about this cave myself, ❞ begins the hunter, her tone a little softer than before. As the child begins to take a few steps forward, Samus follows suit, always at the other’s side rather than leading or following.

“To be quite honest with you I’m not sure anyone else here really knows either. They just pretend they do.”

“No one wants to miss out on the joke. For all we know, you could be the real Da Vinky.”

     — ⚡ ❝ … Maybe, ❞ she’s... Not really sure how to respond to that, honestly.

@gravitysuited·

The Broken Vessel had heard the rumors about this cavern in the City of Glass. A cavern of truth and lies; a cave system with twisting, turning tunnels and (supposedly) mysterious properties, turning anyone who uttered a lie while enclosed within the stone walls lost in both physical body and in spirit. Leaving them mindless, soulless… hollow.

Normally, one would have to wonder why anyone in their right mind would willingly choose to go to such a place; the little vessel was staring right up at the entrance, listening to the quiet stillness of the night around xem as they occasionally looked up at the stars up above. Xey kept taking in deep breaths, kicking pebbles at xyr feet away from themselves and starting to walk inside before heading right back out again. They were scared.

…but the fact that they were filled with fear, that they could feel, was exactly the reason xey were here, wasn’t it? They didn’t want to be imperfect anymore. They didn’t want to remember being abandoned anymore. Didn’t want to remember the cracking, the burning, the rage. They didn’t want to remember any of it. Right now, xey couldn’t forget.

But maybe this mysterious cave could fix that.

Unfortunately for xem, right as they mustered up the bravado needed to step inside for real, a stranger came walking up besides xem. The vessel froze in place, nerves crashing down on xem once again as they tilted their head back to look at the human.

     — ⚡ Typically, Samus would pay someone venturing into a cave some mind. Perhaps she may warn them of the potential dangers but if they were adamant on going in, then she’d simply shrug and let them. Should the cave prove to be something that piques her own curiosity, then the bounty hunter may accompany the person who initially showed interest in the dark place.

     In this instance, however, she is immediately more caring about the individual’s safety considering that xey seem to be rather small and... Almost childlike, in a way. So without much hesitation does the blonde walk up beside xem, casting a glance downwards at their visage.

     ❝ ... It could be dangerous in there, ❞ she informs the young stranger, her expression turning a bit more sympathetic. Perhaps this child feels as if xey have something to prove? Or maybe it’s just that curiosity that is found within most youths?

to restart

     “i feel as if this might be a devolution. what good is muddying the waters of the language? but then again i have seen plenty of strange words on the internet.”

     — ⚡ ❝ Plenty of aliens and cultures used to speak archaic and now adopt something more modern, ❞ Samus gives another shrug, clearly none too bothered by the issue.

       IMMERSED IN THOUGHT saw the hunter standing by in silence for some time, observing the same display. these were mere toys, he lamented amid his mounting displeasure upon the circumstances, curling his fingers into fists—

       it were as if they were mocking him.

     — ⚡ Glancing to her side at the stranger for a moment, the blonde immediately sees the clenching of his fists. Well, it seems that the model displays have struck more of a nerve within him than within Samus... Or at the very least, more visibly so.

     ❝ … That one is almost identical to mine, ❞ she decides to point out, an index finger showing which model in particular she is addressing.